As women, we’re always chasing that ever elusive flat belly. Even if we had it when we were younger, it seems as we age a flat belly moves further away from our reach. Even if you still have a flat belly (kudos to you!), as we get older it feels like it’s harder to maintain. And after having kids, a flat belly seems nearly impossible. With these 10 Effective Tips For A Flat Belly, I hope to help you start believing you can have it again.

How To Get Results: 10 Effective Tips for a Flat Belly

Besides the aesthetic negatives of a fat midsection, healthwise excess belly fat can increase your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. You don’t want that. Follow these 10 Effective Tips For A Flat Belly and you’ll also be heading in the right direction for a healthier lifestyle.

Do you struggle to get rid of belly bulge?

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Tips For A Flat Belly #1: Drink Enough Water

Ideally you want to drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water. For a 130 pound female, that equates to 65 ounces of water. Spread it out throughout the day. As soon as you wake up, start your day with 8 ounces of water. Before each meal, drink another 8 ounces of water. Every hour, drink another 3-4 ounces of water. In the beginning you may feel like you’re running to the bathroom every time you take a sip, but that will go away.

Tips For A Flat Belly #2: Avoid Foods That Bloat

Skip the carbonated drinks that fill your body with gas or the fried foods that make you feel heavy and bloated. Also pass on the fatty or salty foods which can lead to water retention.

And limit alcohol for just those special occasions. This meanskeeping it to one or two glasses spaced out with a full glass of water in between each alcoholic beverage.

Tips For A Flat Belly #3: Eat Foods That Fight Bloat

Did you know pineapple and papaya contain enzymes that help with digestion and help minimize bloat? And blueberries may help melt away belly fat? Or how about the active cultures in yogurt? Also, did you know they increase the good bacteria in your gut which can help you digest food better thus leading to a flatter belly?

And I bet you didn’t know about all these anti-bloat food options you can choose from.

Almonds

Apples

Avocados

Blueberries

Bananas

Broccoli

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Chia seed

Citrus

Cranberries

Flaxseed

Garlic

Ginger

Grapefruit

Herbal tea

Melons

Parsley

Peaches

Spinach

Strawberries

Walnuts

So add these to your grocery list now! I even have a free handy grocery list template you can download here:

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Tips For A Flat Belly #4: Watch The Sugar

Because there is added sugar in so much of what we eat, this tip is one of the biggest challenges for getting a flat belly. Try to reduce your sugar intake as much as possible by making it a habit to read labels before you buy. This means steering clear of refined sugars as well as fake sugar, artificial sweeteners, and sugar substitutes. And for the goodness sake, stay way from high-fructose corn syrup. You’d be surprised how much of this grossness is in all sorts of food.

Naturally occurring sugars such as those found in fruits are okay, within reason, so have no more than two to three servings of fruit a day as even natural sugar adds up.

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Tips For A Flat Belly #5: HIIT Your Workouts

Adding HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts will give you more benefits in less time. With HIIT you alternate between periods of high- and low-intensity. During the high-intensity portions, you go all out. This means you should push yourself as hard as you can, to the point where you feel you need the low-intensity break. Then the low-intensity portions allow you enough time to recover and prepare for the next interval of high-intensity.

Studies show that HIIT workouts, whether they are strict cardio or a mix of cardio and weight-bearing exercise, are far more effective for losing fat than low-intensity steady-state (LISS) workouts. And with HIIT workouts like Tabatas, your body continues to burn calories long after you’ve finished your workout.

Tips For A Flat Belly #6: Load Up On MUFAs

Please pass the MUFA which stands for monounsaturated fats. MUFA are found in olive oil, avocados, and nuts and eating MUFAs can help you feel fuller longer, help burn off belly fat, and help keep your appetite in check. So instead of reaching for the bag of Doritos, grab a small handful of almonds or a couple of tablespoons of almond better and eat it with an apple (for the insoluble fiber we’ll talk about in a little bit.)

Tips For A Flat Belly #7: Enjoy Tea Time

Research shows that people who have a cup or two of green tea on a regular basis can lose up to 16 times more visceral fat (the stubborn stuff stored within the abdominal cavity that gives you that “beer belly”) than those who don’t. This is because green tea contains catechins, fat-burning antioxidants and polyphenol, a nutrient that can help increase the fat burning process.

Tips For A Flat Belly #8: Start Meals with a Salad

Starting meals with a salad will help ensure you get the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Also, you’ll get the fiber you need to help you feel satiated longer and avoid constipation. An apple a day keeps the doctor, and belly fat, away.

Tips For A Flat Belly #9: Track Your Food Intake

Keeping a food diary is eye-opening, especially when you use an online food tracker or app. You may think you’re good about eating well until you see it all written down and broken down into macronutrients. Although you eat clean, after tracking your food intake you may find you’re not getting enough protein. Or you think one slice of pizza isn’t too bad until you see how high in fat, carbs and calories it is.

Also you may think you’re getting just the right amount of calories. A food tracker can shed some light on what you’re actually taking in. Consuming fewer calories than your body needs, along with exercise, is important for fat loss and weight maintenance.

So try it for a week and see what your daily intake of macronutrients (protein, carbs, fats), fiber, and sugar is. Then make adjustments. Most food trackers provide guidelines on how much you need to meet the weight loss goals you set.

Tips For A Flat Belly #10: Sleep Like a Baby

Of the 10 tips for a flat belly, this is one of the least followed. Did you know 30% of Americans sleep six hours or less a night. Don’t be one of them. In fact, a 16-year study of more than 65,000 women showed that women who slept five hours or less a night were 30% more likely to gain more weight than women who slept seven hours or more. This is regardless of diet or exercise. So get more shut-eye if you want to lose the belly.

I’ve slept with ear plugs and an eye mask for-e-ver. They really do help you sleep better by blocking out light and dulling noises (snoring!) that can keep you from getting a good night’s sleep. I use a mask that leaves space around the eyes, so it doesn’t squish my eyeballs. And you don’t want a mask that pulls on the delicate skin around your eyes and causes wrinkles.

Your Next Steps

So now that you have these 10 Effective Tips For A Flat Belly, pick one or two to start working on now. Then keep incorporating more tips over time and you’ll you’ll be on your way to achieving the belly you want.

What belly challenges do you struggle with? Comment below. I’d love to know.

Before starting this or any diet, exercise or fitness program please consult your physician or other qualified health or medical professional to determine if it is right for your needs. This information is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice and supervision of your personal physician. Any application of this or any other exercise routine set forth in this program is at the viewer’s discretion and sole risk. Read full Disclaimer.

Hi Lynn, great tips for a flat belly. I always forget about enzymes in fruit and tea to help with bloating. I intermittent fast and learned early on if I open my eating window with a salad I’m bloated the rest of the day. I don’t think I would have picked up on that if I didn’t fast. Kinda crazy. Most people do better with salads. Oh well.

That’s interesting. I intermittent fast too and include veggies in all my meals, most often with cauliflower, but haven’t noticed that for myself. Have you tried different ingredients in the salad? Maybe some veggies are giving you more bloat than others?

I do a lot of these things on the list, but I know that I have to get better at drinking more water and working out. If I could get myself to be consistent with these two things, I’d be fine. Thankfully, my metabolism is still fast, and my stomach is still flat (I don’t eat much, and I love snacking on apples, pretzels, carrots, etc.), but I know that this will not last forever. My weight yo-yos with my appetite, but for the most part, I try to keep things consistent.

I really need to work on hydration and eating less sugar. I’ve been working on getting more movement in each day though I don’t “workout” anymore. It’s helping. And, one day when my children sleep I will too 😂

Getting more movement is great – it’s better than nothing! Working on hydration, eating less sugar and moving more will help you feel better. I send out 10 minute workouts in my weekly newsletter. Why don’t you join? Start with those 10 minute workouts while the kids sleep. Sign up here: http://bit.ly/2FvCtEA

Yes, drinking enough water not only makes you feel better, it helps curb your appetite, aids with digestion and regularity, helps prevent muscle cramps and headaches, helps keep energy levels up, just to name a few other benefits.

Good advice. As someone that travels it’s tough sometimes. But yeah … we do all this. Plus we do it as vegans! The only thing I don’t think I can get behind is the HIIIT I have seen SO many injuries come from this that as someone in her mid 40’s … I think I prefer to stick to weight training. Slow and controlled – full on focus on form – weight training. 🙂

Weight training is an excellent option. I’m 45 this year and like the balance of doing both HIIT workouts & weight lifting. But we have to do what feels right for our bodies. We’re all different, right? I’ve also found as I get older, it’s so much more important to listen to our bodies.